lf, to something very like an all-pervading
benevolent essence which from time to time takes shape in a Buddha.
And here we see how easy is the transition from the old Buddhism to a
form of pantheism. For if we admit that the Buddha is a superhuman
intelligence appearing from time to time according to a certain law,
we add little to this statement by saying that the essence or spirit
of the cosmos manifests itself from time to time as a Buddha. Only,
such words as essence or spirit are not really correct. The world of
individuals is the same as the highest truth, the same as the
Dharma-kaya, the same as Nirvana. It is only through ignorance that it
appears to be different and particularized. Ignorance, the essence of
which consists in believing in the distinction between subject and
object, is also called defilement and the highest truth passes through
various stages of defilement ending with that where under the
influence of egoism and passion the external world of particulars is
believed to be everything. But the various stages may influence one
another[114] so that under a higher influence the mind which is
involved in subjectivity begins to long for Nirvana. Yet Nirvana is
not something different from or beyond the world of experience; it
does not really involve annihilation of the skandhas. Just as in the
Advaita he who has the true knowledge sees that he himself and
everything else is Brahman, so for the Mahayanist all things are seen
_to be_ Nirvana, _to be_ the Dharma-kaya. It is sometimes[115] said
that there are four kinds of Nirvana (_a_) absolute Nirvana, which is
a synonym of the Dharma-kaya and in that sense universally present in
all beings, (_b_) upadhisesha-nirvana, the state of enlightenment
which can be attained during life, while the body with its limitations
still remains, (_c_) anupadhisesha-nirvana, a higher degree of the
same state attained after death when the hindrances of the body are
removed, (_d_) Nirvana without abode or apratishthita-nirvana. Those
who attain to this understand that there is no real antithesis between
Samsara and Nirvana:[116] they do not seek for rest or emancipation
but devote themselves to beneficent activity and to leading their
fellows to salvation. Although these statements that Nirvana and
Samsara are the same are not at all in the manner of the older
Buddhism, yet this ideal of disinterested activity combined with
Nirvana is not inconsistent with the portrait of Got